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The reunification of Jerusalem under Israeli rule after the Six-Day War

Jerusalem Day , (Yom Yerushalayim) is an Israeli national holiday commemorating the reunification of Jerusalem and the reestablishment of Jewish control over the Old City in 1967.The day is marked by state ceremonies, memorial services for soldiers who died in the battle for Jerusalem, parades through down town Jerusalem, reciting the Hallel prayer in synagogues, lectures on Jerusalem-related topics, singing and dancing, and special television programming. Schoolchildren throughout the country learn about significance of Jerusalem, and schools in the city itself hold festive assemblies. The mayor holds a reception open to the general public.

Some members of the ultra-orthodox community do not celebrate Jerusalem Day because of their refusal to acknowledge the jurisdiction of the state.

This state of affairs changed in 1967 as a result of the Six-Day War. Before the start of the war, Israel sent a message to King Hussein of Jordan saying that Israel would not attack Jerusalem or the West Bank as long as the Jordanian front remained quiet. Urged by Egyptian pressure and based on misleading intelligence reports, Jordan began shelling civilian locations in Israel, to which Israel responded on June 6 by opening the eastern front. The following day, June 7, 1967 (28 Iyar 5727), Israel liberated the Old City of Jerusalem.

On May 12, 1968, the government proclaimed a new holiday - Jerusalem Day - to be celebrated on the 28th of Iyar, the Hebrew date on which the divided city of Jerusalem became one. On March 23, 1998, the Knesset passed the Jerusalem Day Law, making the day a national holiday.

One of the themes of Jerusalem Day, based on a verse from the Book of Psalms, is "Ke'ir shechubra la yachdav - "Built-up Jerusalem is like a city that was joined together" (Psalm 122:3).

The slogan for Jerusalem Day 2007, marking the 40th anniversary of the reunification of Jerusalem, was "Mashehu Meyuhad leKol Ehad" ‎, Something Special for Everyone), punning on the words "meyuhad" (special) and "meuhad" (united).To mark the anniversary, the approach to Jerusalem on the Jerusalem-Tel Aviv highway is illuminated with decorative blue lighting that will remain in place throughout the year. The parade planned for the day was rained out.

Jerusalem was divided during the War of Independence and nineteen years later was reunited as a result of the 6-Day War.

Following the 6-Day War victory, on June 27, 1967, the Government presented the Knesset with three law proposals. These proposals determined the effective unification of Jerusalem and sanctioned the application of Israeli law in the entire area of the unified city. The municipal boundaries of the city were altered and its area was increased threefold: from 38,100 dunams to 110,000 dunams. At the same time a law was adopted that enabled free access to the holy places by the members of every religion.

On May 12 1968 the Government, decided to make the 28th of Iyar the symbolic holiday, Jerusalem Day , a day that symbolizes the continued historical connection of the Jewish People to Jerusalem. Thirty years later, this holiday became anchored in the law: On March 23 1998 the Knesset passed the second and third readings of the "Jerusalem Day Law", which determined that the date that Jerusalem was liberated during the 6-Day War was now a national holiday.

Yom Yerushalayim (Jerusalem Day) - On June 7,1967 / Iyar 28, 5727, Israeli troops crashed through the defenses set up by Arab troops and recaptured those parts of the holy city of Jerusalem which had previously been in Arab possession. Yom Yerushalayim commemorates this significant day.

Ambassadors of all EU countries will not show up for the special Knesset session which will be on Jerusalem Day on Wednesday .As far as they are concerned, east Jerusalem, which was occupied during the Six Day War, is an occupied territory. Among the EU countries there is a difference of opinion regarding the participation in the Jerusalem Day celebrations. Germany decided to send the letter to the official bodies in Israel, but a number of EU countries are considering violating the boycott and taking part in the celebrations. The Egyptian and Jordanian ambassadors were also invited to take part in the events, and Foreign Ministry officials expressed their concern over the possibility that they would also fail to show up.

Of the four holidays that were added to the Jewish calendar in the 20th century (Yom HaShoah, Yom HaZikaron, Yom HaAtzmaut, and Yom Yerushalayim), the latest holiday is also the last one held during the month of Iyar. Yom Yerushalayim - Jerusalem Day - is the anniversary of the liberation and unification of Jerusalem under Jewish sovereignty that occurred during the Six Day War. Yom Yerushalayim is celebrated on the 28th of the month of Iyar (one week before Shavuot). The liberation of Jerusalem in 1967 marks the first time in thousands of years that the entire city of Jerusalem, the holiest city in Judaism, was under Jewish sovereignty. The destruction of Jerusalem was a watershed event in Jewish history that began thousands of years of mourning for Jerusalem, so, it follows, that the reunification of Jerusalem should be a joyous celebration that begins the process of reversing thousands of years of destruction and exile. Jerusalem is central to the Jewish tradition. Jews face in the direction of Jerusalem and all of the prayer services are filled with references to Jerusalem.